Viewpoint

It’s at the end of House Bill 1266, and we have no idea whether the legislation has a chance at passage by the April
29 session deadline, but we had to go back and read it twice before we believed what we were seeing.

At more than 30 days and counting, at least at Indiana Lawyer deadline, we’re not sure what will cause the
Democrats elected to the Indiana House of Representatives to return to their posts at the Statehouse.

When you post a comment to a story on a media website, you are responsible for your words. At least that is the case at this
time. Contrary to that opinion, many people think hiding behind an anonymous identity online should be a protected right.

We often think of law enforcement officers and firefighters as first-responder types who venture into situations where others
are reluctant to go. We’d like to expand the definition of first responder a bit, and bring your attention to an Indianapolis
lawyer who after retiring from his day job years ago decided he wasn’t quite done practicing law.

In our culture, someone accused of a crime gets a vigorous defense to make certain all of the accused person’s constitutional
rights are protected. This is as it should be. Those faced with the loss of their liberty or life deserve no less than the
best defense that can be put forth.

This was one retirement ceremony we were not looking forward to attending, fearing that the gentleman stepping away from the
bench would slip away from public life and live quietly with his family, indulging his interests outside the law, while working
as a mediator at Van Winkle Baten Rimstidt and senior judging for the Indiana Court of Appeals.

A few days after then-U.S. District Court Judge David Hamilton ruled in late 2005 in Anthony Hinrichs, et al. v. Brian
Bosma, et al., that sectarian prayer could not be used to open legislative sessions, we received a phone call from someone
who wanted the judge’s e-mail address and contact information. We declined to give that information.

Those of us on staff here at the newspaper that grew up in Indiana and were of a certain age to pay attention to the news
can likely recall when Judge Sarah Evans Barker was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.

In a series of decisions culminating in Riegel v. Medtronic, Inc., federal courts came to recognize that the
Medial Device Amendments preempted not only traditional products liability claims such as those based on an alleged defect
or implied warranty but also causes of action premised on theories such as consumer fraud.

Here at the newspaper, we’re big fans of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. But we understand the
need for and exuberance some individuals feel for the Second Amendment: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to
the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”